#show!nadia will be better than her book counterpart

[lilisouless]

Look guys, an actually good quality image

OH MY, NADIA IS TALLER THAN TAMAR!

[optimisticcoffeedelusion]

Die For Me

And so here I am...having finished the third Killing Eve book by Luke Jennings Die For Me.

This is obviously merely my opinion but I want to start telling you all that I believe this is by far the worst book of the trilogy. By far. Like, not just by a tiny bit. I didn’t dislike every single thing in it, but I didn’t like...most of it, starting with the change of perspective/narration. Die For Me sees a sudden change from an external narrator to a first person (Eve) one and I believe Jennings fares much better with an external narrator. But while this is the first element that I see as a flaw compared to the first 2 books, it also is responsible for one of the very few things I liked in the book.

The second flawed element I found is...well, see how season 4 of the show starts leaving the viewers wondering (without ever getting satisfaction) how the heck we got there? The third book does something similar. Not in a bad direction, but still one that left me a bit like eh. Eve being so deeply in love with Villanelle feels very sudden and very weird and very out of character even. Even more out of character, to me, was the extreme emotional submissiveness Eve shows especially in the first half of the book (it kind of subsides later on), which was not there at all in the first two books. One could say it’s because we feel book three directly from inside of her, but even this perspective doesn’t make it less weird to read in flowing with the two books. On the other hand, Villanelle did not feel out of character (compared to the first two books) and while she is very detestable at times, even that kind of fits into place with the character. So I can say I disliked some behaviors or words (and oh I did!!), but also that it’s not weird that she would do or say something I’d dislike.

Before getting to the thing I liked most about the book, I want to briefly talk about something other than Villanelle and Eve specifically. In the first two books the two of them spent almost no time together (and of course having them together is nice), but all the discourse and parts about missions and espionage are organized with structure, interest and detail. But I felt like this effort was not there in Die For Me. All the planning and mission-ing wasn’t at all as interesting as in the first books. On the contrary, I really didn’t like pretty much all the central parts, then nearing the end; including and maybe particularly all the Lara stuff. In the show Nadia died to soon, but I wish her book counterpart left us sooner! In other words, the writing quality went pretty down. That’s what I perceived.

But even plot-wise there was something I like. That is the part they spend at Dasha’s (which is not Villanelle’s former trainer, but her former prison mate!) and the ending part, which has some bits that I found quite beautiful. I also liked how Anna made her appearance; I really liked that. It’s almost as if Luke wrote some good stuff for the beginning and end, and then filled the middle with...words, really uncompelling words.

Now what I really, really really liked; what I really really found interesting and that, while ultimately is a small part of it all, felt still very meaningful to me, is how Eve’s first person perspective allowed us to get some terribly deep insights into Villanelle, her behavior, her state of mind, her emotional state, her way of expressing feelings, her entire way of being. I think the show ended up going very cliché, ordinary and not necessarily realistical here, but the book made a successfull (in my opinion) effort in being truthful to the realty of Oxana’s psychopatry while at the same time not sacrificing the humanity that is there, still.

So yeah, there it is. The Killing Eve journey has ended on paper too, for now. Despite really not being into this third book, I’m still happy I decided to give them a go. It was definitely an interesting experience and I more than loved to get to know these other Eve and Villanelle, who made the general image of the characters in my mind even richer.

With the fourth book coming, I definitely wish for more substance and possibly a return to the external narrator. But in case there’s gonna be quality and substance, then I would be really interested in reading a Villanelle perspective book, given that we got an Eve’s one.

[anevolutionarynecessity]

This excerpt from Luke Jennings’ second book in the Codename Villanelle Series, No Tomorrow, illustrates a key difference between the source material and the Killing Eve television series.

In the books, Villanelle doesn’t walk away from The Twelve. She’s well aware that it’s unrealistic. More importantly, this conversation with Lara (read: Nadia) makes it clear that Villanelle doesn’t actually want to leave. She is a killer. She’s fine with it. Revels in it, actually. Villanelle has peak self confidence and self acceptance; she’s equally captivating and terrifying.

This is significant given how much more intense, depraved, violent, and filled with “icy dispassion” Villanelle is in Jennings’ books. They’re a fine read. He has stylish prose, but it’s inconsistent. There are some truly bad parts. Occasionally there’s a perfect, breathtaking turn of phrase. Overall he brings Eve and Villanelle vividly to life.

My point is, the more I (re)read these novels, the more I questioned to what extent Killing Eve actually censored Villanelle in order to make her more palatable for mass media (and allow Killing Eve to air at all). Further, I wonder whether changes like this particular excerpt might be taken as a betrayal of Villanelle’s fundamental character.

And this is really the core issue we’re grappling with while we wait for Season 4 to be released.

After all in Killing Eve, Villanelle makes the momentous decision to stop killing altogether–especially for The Twelve. Anyone who’s familiar with my blog’s analyses knows it’s a decision I wholeheartedly support, particularly because it makes an inspiring impact within the show’s context.

But it also goes against Villanelle’s character. Even against logic, especially as it’s laid out in the books.

It’s a very fine line to try and determine which changes Killing Eve made for the sake of creative liberty (most of them truly brilliant) versus which were made to simply make Villanelle more...acceptable. There’s actually a long list of differences. But I want to focus on the example of her attitude regarding killing because I feel that it best encapsulates my point of Villanelle being censored.

The heart of the issue is that in comparison to the books, Killing Eve continuously underestimates its audience, strays from core characterizations, and to put it bluntly, is shockingly tame.

I’m not saying it needs to be a gory murder and sex fest in order to be profound or to stay true to its essence. Quite the opposite in fact, because the books actually employ restrained menace, and a tasteful, if sometimes inaccurate, exploration of just how dark the female psyche can get (except no, Jennings, psychopaths are not unfeeling and emotionless voids 🙄)

And this isn’t even a matter of whether the books or show prevail over each other; “better” can come down to a matter of personal preference. I love the books and the show for similar as well as wildly different reasons, but I certainly do love them both.

I take issue with the fact that Killing Eve thinks we can’t handle Eve and Villanelle at their darkest. I mean, how many times has it shied away from exploring Eve’s potential as a killer? It’s barely scratched the black depths of Villaneve, and this happens only (finally!) three seasons in–with just one final season left for the show to do justice to their relationship.

It bothers me that instead of presenting Villanelle as she truly is, Killing Eve thinks we can’t handle her viciously killing and enjoying it and preferring the assassin’s lifestyle. Instead of showing us that she’s the perfect ruthless counterpart to Eve, exactly the way she is, the show underestimates our ability to confront Villanelle’s darkness and then accept it, much like Eve manages to do in the Season 3 finale. Rather than letting us make up or own minds, trusting that we’re capable enough to have our own outlooks on life and moral leanings, Killing Eve already makes the decision for us by removing parts of Villanelle that “the real world” would find unacceptable.

Sure, if most people watching Killing Eve actually knew the extent of Villanelle’s darkness they would be appalled. Morally outraged, as it were.

Villanelle is not nice. She’s not particularly softened or preoccupied with emotion and compassion. She’s not exactly vulnerable, even with Eve. She’s focused on facing the world as it is and making the most of it for herself. She’s termed both a psychopath and a sociopath, but these labels are merely glossed over, deliberately failing to capture her, because they aren’t as important as who Villanelle considers herself to be. She’s not concerned about being liked. She’s fiercely proud. She’s been through hell and come out wielding her absolute agency without a sliver of hesitation. So in every decision Villanelle makes, it’s her. All of her. And she’s utterly unrepentant.

And this is exactly why Villaneve is a dark ship, why it’s controversial and generally disturbing. Because it takes a woman of equal measure to accept Villanelle, and that woman is Eve. They’re both comfortable with who they are, as dark as they are. And they are “unpunished”, they get their happy ending. The way Jennings writes them is without any moral colouring; he lets us choose how we take Villanelle, then her partnership with Eve.

Killing Eve thinks that’s too hard for general audiences. Killing Eve thinks Eve and Villanelle are a bit too dark. Killing Eve thinks it’s too bleak a message to be sending, so Killing Eve tames the big, bad monster for us.

But that’s not what the books are for. That’s not why the show should exist. I don’t look to this kind of art as my moral prescription or a guidance on how to live my life (which is a burden the show seems determined to carry). I enjoy this art because it resonates with me, it’s entertaining, and it gives me insight into perspectives I otherwise would never have or think to explore.

The point is, Villanelle doesn’t need to be altered, to be be censored, in any way–in order for us to accept and like her.

There’s a section in Jennings’ first novel where Konstantin and Villanelle are discussing a plan for how she will sneakily meet Eve for the first time in Shanghai. Villanelle’s contempt shines through here because she accuses Konstantin of only using her as a killer, disregarding her capacity for emotion, and shutting her away like a tool in a box as soon as she’s executed orders. She wants to see Eve with her own eyes, on her own terms.

When Konstantin protests, Villanelle very pointedly reminds him that she is a human being. Full stop.

Villanelle is one of the most fascinating and compelling characters in contemporary media. And if we follow her own thought process, she’s fully a human being–which means being intimately familiar with her whole self. Darkness included. It’s so easy to understand.

I wish Killing Eve let us experience Villanelle in all her human glory, instead of mistakenly presuming that darkness is not part of the shared human experience.

[where-theres-smoak-2]

S&B Book Review From A Show Viewer.

I did it, I got the Shadow and Bone book yesterday and I’ve just finished it. I have to say the ending left me both shocked and flabbergasted and not necessarily in a good way but I will get into why soon. I don’t want people to think that I thought the book was bad because its not, I thought it was ok, I mean its not my favourite fantasy novel but I still enjoyed parts of it. I think the best way I can describe my feelings about it is you know when a film comes out that’s based on a novel they always say watch the film before you read the books or the film will disappoint you, well I feel like its the other way round with the books, I just think the show is better than the book, and by watching the show first I was a little disappointed with the book and I do think if I had read the book first I would have enjoyed it more if that makes sense. But like I said there were parts of the book that I enjoyed there were even some things that I think were handled better in the book than in the show. But overall in my opinion I do think that the show is better. So in this review/ comparison I am going to talk first about the parts that I wasn’t so keen on then the parts I liked as I like to end on a good note. Also let it be known I have only read the first book and obviously there are spoilers for both the first book and the show. The rest is under the cut.

 Dislikes.

1) The Characters. 

So when I got half way through the book there was something about it that just didn't feel right to me and I couldn’t, at first, put my finger on what it was. For some reason I just wasn’t enjoying the book as much as I thought I would. Then it hit me, I didn’t really like any of the characters. In the show I loved or at least liked pretty much every character. For example Marie and Nadia, although they were only side characters who didn’t get much screen time, I liked them, they seemed like such sweethearts. But in the books Alina describes them as being two faced, how they are all sweet to Zoya to her face but then are mean behind her back and Alina wonders if they are the same with her and she doesn’t really seem to trust them. Whereas in the show like I said they seemed genuinely sweet and it seemed like Alina really was friends with them. Another example is Dubrov and Mikhael. They are only really in like a paragraph or two of the book and they aren’t nice at all. In the show they were lovable goofs, their friendship with Mal is soo wholesome and we see Alina meet them for the first time. However in the books Alina already knows them and they refer to her as ‘sticks’ which she hates and she also thinks about how Mikhael had once ‘pawed at her’ whilst drunk. The reason why I think their show counterparts are better (other than they just seem to be nicer human beings) is because I liked them I was sad when they died. I was upset when Marie died. I cried when Mikhael and Dubrov died, because I cared about their characters. Whereas in the books to be honest I really couldn’t have cared less when I learnt that they had died. 

Even the main characters didn’t do much for me. It’s not that I didn't like them I just didn't love them the same way I did in the show. I can understand now why so many people dislike book Mal. He is barely in the first book, in the beginning its not that he’s a bad person but its obvious that Alina feels ignored by him and he’s a little oblivious to her, its the classic taking a friend for granted until you lose them and then realise how much they meant to you situation. I think the fact that we don’t see any of what Mal is up to whilst they are separated doesn’t do any favours for the character in the book. When he does show up he is cold and actually kind of mean to Alina. I do believe that alot of this is because he is traumatised by witnessing the deaths of his friends but I will get into that more later. As for Alina and the Darkling again I didn’t dislike them I think out of all the characters they were the most interesting but I didn’t feel that same connection with them that I did in the show. Basically there wasn’t a single character where I had that I love this character moment, I was just kind of meh about them all. 

2) Alina’s Age and Agency.

Another thing that the show did better in my opinion was aging Alina up and giving her more agency. In the book she is only 17 and I think you can tell that. She is much more timid and dare I say whiny in the book. I mean she comes across as a teenage girl which is what she is so it’s not the books fault she was written as she was supposed to be. But after seeing her show counterpart who wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself and defended Mal the book Alina seemed like a different character, one that I felt like I just didn’t know and one that I didn’t love as much as the show version. I mean in the show Alina shows these moments of defiance. Like when she is first brought to the General’s tent and he asks ‘well’ and she replies ‘well what’ before remembering who she is talking to and adding ‘sir’. Again when the Queen in making the comments about her being Shu and asks her maid to say good morning to her. And so Alina tells the queen she doesn’t actually speak Shu before again remembering who she is talking to and adding ‘your highness’. When Mal is being bullied at the orphanage and she threatened the bully with I think it was a letter opener. She has this kind of snarky, sassiness about her that I didn’t really get in the books. Also I feel like Alina had alot more agency in the show. Like burning the maps to get on the skiff. It was a terrible idea no doubt, but it was her doing something to get herself on the skiff so she could help her friend. In the books their unit is ordered to cross the fold from the beginning, Alina has nothing to do with her being on the skiff. Also with her relationship with The Darkling, Alina is mostly nervous around him and he is the one that initiates all their kisses. Whereas in the show Alina is the one to kiss him first. I do feel like in the book Alina is more kind of pushed and pulled around by the plot or by other characters and doesn’t really do much for herself. Like another example is when Baghra reveals that The Darkling is the Black Heretic in the book she has this whole plan for Alina’s escape which is for her to go to Os Kervo and board a ship where her passage has already been paid for and in the book Alina just goes with it, whereas in the show we see her decide not to take Baghra’s instructions and escapes herself, her own way, again it might not have been the best choice seeing as she puts herself right into The Crows hands but it is her choice. Even the decision to go after the Stag isn’t hers in the books. It’s Mal’s. There was one decision that Alina did make for herself and it was one part of the book that I think I hated the most which I will get into later.

I do like that she is older in the show as I feel like I personally can relate more to her as an adult as oppose to a teenager. Its also fresher because there are so many of these young adult fantasy adaptions where the heroines are 16-18 years old and that nice but you are still a young adult in your early twenties and so I think its a nice change to see a slightly older heroine if that makes sense.

3) The Darkling’s name and Novokribirsk.

Well I know this one is not going to make me popular with the book fans but I really didn’t like that no one knew the Darkling’s name or rather that he didn’t have a name really. I know his name reveal is a big deal to book fans and that was one thing they didn’t like about the show and maybe if I had read the book first I would have agreed. But I personally, having learnt his name in the show, found it difficult seeing everyone refer to him as The Darkling because in the show it is only really used by his enemies and always in a derogatory way and as a slur, everyone else just calls him The Black General or General Kirigan. I also think the fact that he does have a name in the show makes him a little more human. The other difference between the show and the book is Novokribirsk. In the show although I didn’t necessarily agree with him expanding the Fold into Novokribirsk I understood his reasons behind it, his motivations. But the West Ravkan rebels plot doesn’t exist in the book and so I just couldn’t understand why he was killing his own people, why he was killing Ravkans. If he had expanded the Fold into Fjerda or Shu Han I would have understood but Novokribirsk made no sense. I am sure I am wrong about this but I kind of felt like Bardugo was trying to be shocking and trying to show look he’s a villain but it just didn’t line up with the rest of his character. Like he is power hungry yes but he also cares about the Grisha and the Ravkans and so him turning on the people of his own country with no motivation at all didn’t make sense to me. Instead of feeling shocked I just felt kind of confused by his actions. 

4) The Reveal That Genya Is A Spy.

This is another one where I feel like if I had read the books first it wouldn’t have bugged me so much. But one of the more powerfully emotional scenes for me in the show was that conversation between Genya and Alina in episode 7 where Alina realises that Genya was Kirigan’s spy. It is heartbreaking to see these two friends fall apart like this and you can see both of their sides. You can understand why Alina feels betrayed but you can also understand why Genya did it. But in the book the scene just isn’t that emotional. Alina realises that Genya is a spy but whilst we see her thoughts and her processing it she doesn’t confront Genya about it. Instead Genya tells Alina that David feels terrible about putting the collar on her and that he feels like he has destroyed all of Ravka. As Genya leaves Alina calls after her asking her to tell David she forgives him and then she silently, in her head, forgives Genya too. I just was disappointed in this scene when I read it. I do think this is just another thing that was handled better in the show. 

5) Mal and Alina’s Sudden Romance.

Ok I’m not hating on Mal and Alina here I actually think (well more in the show than the book) that their relationship is cute, I don’t hate the relationship its just that I prefer Darklina. But in the book I was actually really shocked when they kissed. For me I feel like it was a little jarring and I would have preferred if their kiss had come in the second book. I think the problem is it just felt like there was no development. I mean we had Alina spending the majority of the book lamenting about how Mal doesn’t like her back and only sees her as a friend. We barely see Mal in the book at all and then all of a sudden they don’t just kiss but are confessing their undying love for each other and I was just left with my head in a bit of spin at how fast that change came. But hey maybe it was just me. I do think part of the problem is that we only get Alina’s pov so that makes it come as more of a surprise. But they went from just friends to intense burning love in 0.1 seconds flat and for me it was just too much of a rush. I just wish it had been built up a bit slower as I felt like they got to the whole I love you’s a bit too quick. Even if they had their first kiss at the very end of the book and then continued to build the relationship in book 2 and have the love confessions then I think it would have been a bit more believable to me. 

6) Shaming Alina. 

Ok so there were a couple of times where I felt like other characters were shaming Alina for having feelings for The Darkling and for falling for his manipulation. Of course I could be misinterpreting this but I didn’t like the connotations behind these lines. The first was when Baghra is organising for Alina to escape and Baghra tells her she’ll organise for a servant to be placed at Alina’s door who will claim she is ill so that Alina has more time to get away. When Alina tells her the servant would have to be placed this evening as The Darkling may come to her room and Baghra replies with ‘foolish girl’. Obviously this makes Alina feel ashamed and even more foolish for falling for The Darkling’s manipulation. Here’s the thing I don’t mind Alina feeling foolish I think that’s realistic, I think any of us would feel like a fool if we were in the same situation. What I don’t like is the author having other character’s call her foolish for being manipulated by someone. I just don’t think its the healthiest of lessons to teach to young girls that if you are unfortunate enough to be manipulated by a a man than girl are you a fool. I don’t necessarily think it was the author’s intention to present it that way but I do think that is a message that a young girl could take away from this, I mean if I can interrupt it this way than others could too. 

I felt a similar way with Mal’s line when he says ‘I love you, Alina, even the part of you that loved him.’ Look I’m sure that this line was suppose to be romantic and show acceptance. But it bothered me, it really really bothered me. It bothered me because once again it is suggesting that Alina should be ashamed that she had feelings for the Darkling, it presents Mal as being this oh so righteous person because look at him he loves her even though she once loved The Darkling. It suggests that its harder for him to love her because she loved the darkling and like she has to be forgiven for it or as if she has been tainted by it. It wasn’t Alina’s fault that she developed feelings for The Darkling or that she was manipulated by him. And Mal isn’t a better person for loving her even though she loved The Darkling, he shouldn’t get extra brownie points for loving all of her unconditionally. 

7) Alina Is A Murderer!!! 

Ok so this is the part of the book that shocked the hell out of me but also left me utterly confused and I hated it, I really hated it. I’m also kind of baffled as to how I’ve not seen anyone talking about this. I mean maybe I am over-reacting but I have only just finished the book so it is still pretty fresh. But there is a huge difference between the ending of the first book and the ending of the series and that is what happens in The Fold. So first off Mal doesn’t sneak on to the skiff he is there because the Darkling is planning to execute him as a traitor by feeding him to the Volcra. The other thing is there are alot more people on the skiff, you’ve got the ambassadors from Fjerda and Shu Han, you’ve got Kerch Merchants, you’ve got an envoy for the King, you’ve got a ton of Grisha and their are also a ton of soldiers, all on this skiff. The darkling also never has Ivan kill the ambassadors they don’t try to fight back against him after he expands the Fold. What does happen is this, The Darkling throws Mal overboard and this is what triggers Alina being able to free herself and her power from The Darkling’s control. She then abandons ship and jumps off the skiff to Mal and leaves everyone who is onboard to die. Which in itself is bad enough but that's not all she does. She doesn’t just leave them without her light to protect them she uses the cut to destroy the skiff, she damages the mast and also cuts the skiff in half essentially stranding them there without any way of escaping. She does this knowing that they will all die.

I know what some of you will say. How can you be mad about Alina doing this when the Darkling has killed people and you still like him. Well first off because The Darkling is the anti hero in the show whose motivations I understood and well I’ve already said I wasn’t a huge fan of his actions with Novokribirsk in the books. Also with him being the antagonist I know he’s going to do things that are morally grey or downright dark. I don’t however expect it from my hero of the story. Also I wouldn’t have cared as much if Alina had a valid reason for doing it. Like she was sacrificing these people to safe a larger number of people or something like that where she was in some kind of moral conundrum where sacrificing the people on the skiff was for the greater good, if it was for example a situation like Clarke from the 100 and the Mountain Men, what she did was terrible and definitely morally grey but she did it to save her people and that’s what made it interesting to see her struggle with the guilt of it, to be horrified at what she had done but understand that it was a difficult decision for her that needed to be made for her peoples survival. Or even if it were a similar situation to Katniss and Finnick in Mockingjay where she knew she couldn’t save him so had to make the choice to sacrifice him to stop the mutts from coming after the rest of them. But that’s not what was happening here with Alina, she does it to save Mal. And look I get it. Mal is her childhood friend, and Mal is the person she loves, Mal is her home. But Mal is also one person and she probably could have found a  way to save him without sacrificing everyone else to do it you know like she does in the show. It’s not even just the leaving them behind bit that gets to me but I just don’t think it was necessary for her to break the ship. It was one thing to take her light from them and use it to protect only her and Mal, but at least if she had left the skiff unscathed they would have had a chance to survive. 

I mean maybe I am just have too much of a rigid idea of what a  hero is suppose to be or gotten too used to heroines being a certain way but the difference between the hero and the villain is that whilst the villain does everything for themselves and is usually very selfish the hero is supposed to be selfless. They are suppose to think of the greater good and put that above all else, they make personal sacrifices and that doesn’t necessarily mean not protecting their loved ones but it also doesn’t mean leaving innocent people to die just so that you can save one person, regardless of how important that person is to you. 

I mean  I feel like we are being told that Alina is this saviour and that she is the hero but then the character isn’t acting like the hero. I mean she doesn’t seem to care about anybody but Mal and yet she is still very judgemental of the Darkling even though he is trying to save his people albeit in completely the wrong way. 

  I mean one thing I will say is that she does recognise that what she has done makes her like The Darkling. She also does have guilt about it and nightmares but I found it hard to have sympathy for her because I just didn’t think it was necessary for her to do it. 

I don’t know maybe I’ll feel differently about it in a few days after I’ve processed it more but at the moment I feel strangely betrayed by the book like they’ve taken one of my favourite characters and ruined her. Which I know is silly because the books came first but I just can’t help but think my show Alina would never. She saved Mal and everyone on the skiff.  

Grey Area

Ok so this section is an odd one, so this is things that I’m not sure how I feel about them I liked some bits but also didn’t like some bits. 

1) Alina’s POV

So the book is told entirely from Alina’s pov and to be honest I am of two minds as to whether that's a good thing or a bad. I mean most YA fantasy novels are told from the heroine’s pov like The Hunger Games or Divergent. So this is something that can work, but in the case of Shadow and Bone I feel like having it solely from Alina’s pov was at the detriment of the other characters. I feel like because Alina doesn’t like alot of the other characters or has negative thoughts about alot of the other characters the reader also doesn’t like them. On the flip side of this it does very much put you in Alina’s shoes so it helps you better understand that isolation she feels and that not really trusting people, doubting them. You can understand her struggle to connect with people and how she always wonders if they really do like her or if they have an ulterior motive. There is this one part earlier on in the book where she talks about how people, in particular girls, would befriend her but it was only because she was friends with Mal and they were interested in him, so they used her to get close to him. I think this really does explain why she struggles to trust people when she gets to the Little Palace as she automatically assumes that if they are trying to be friends with her its because they want something from her. Because you can see her thoughts you also get a really good idea of how insecure she feels and how much she wants to be accepted. Like there are several parts where its obvious that she wants to please The Darkling, or she wants to impress Baghra or Botkin. She worries about how the other summoners will react if they find out she is struggling with her powers. There is one scene I loved where Alina is finally able to summon on her own and she just rushes outside to the lake where all the other summoners are to show off her powers because she is just so excited. All of this where its exploring Alina’s thoughts and feelings is great and well written but I think the problem of having it from her pov is although you get a good idea of Alina and how she feels, first impressions are also important and we get all of our first impressions of the other characters through Alina. However Alina doesn’t really like anybody, so  when she talks about how mean Dubrov and Mikhael are and how they call her names and ignore her, or when she talks about Mal not really seeing her and taking her for granted, or when she thinks about how two faced Marie and Nadia are, how grumpy Ivan is, how intimidating and mysterious The Darkling is, and so on, these impressions of the character stick with the reader and so I think it is then hard for the reader to change their view on these characters, if that makes sense. So in some ways the first person narrative is great but in others I think it is a little bit of a problem.   

2) Mal’s Reaction To Alina And The Darkling/ Their Reunion.

Ok so this might be a controversial one but I’m kind of split on which of Mal’s reactions I prefer. I know that seems crazy considering how mean he is to Alina in the books when they see each other again for the first time since she is discovered to be Grisha, but hear me out. On the one side I liked how non judgemental show Mal was when Alina admits that she had feelings for Aleksander. I liked that he said she didn’t owe him an explanation because its true she doesn’t, just like he doesn’t owe her an explanation for any relationships he’s had. So in that sense I think the show did it better. 

In the books their reunion doesn’t go so well. Mal shows up at the Little Palace having found the Stag and unlike in the show he does speak with Alina. But its a very negative interaction where he gets angry about her wearing black and talks about how the Darkling is all over her and just in general makes her feel bad about this new life she has found as a Grisha. Obviously I didn’t enjoy this scene but there was one element of this whole reunion that I did like and that is Mal’s trauma. In the show they don’t really address the trauma Mal experiences at seeing his friends die beyond a small conversation with Alina where he tells her what happened to them. But in the book during this scene and then later when they are travelling to find the Stag together Alina notes a few times that he sometimes gets a look in his eyes or that he seems different. There is a notable change in him due to what has happened to him and I feel like this gives some depth to the character. Yes he acts like a dick to Alina but its because of his trauma.   

Likes

Ok on to the good stuff, things that I loved from the books. 

1) Grisha Powers And Amplifiers.

So I’ll be honest the books do a better job of explaining the Grisha abilities and the amplifiers than the show does. So in the show they do have that line about the small science feeds us and merzost feeds on us. Well in the book this is better explained and you find out that a Grisha gets stronger and healthier the more they use their powers. Whilst in the show Alina tricks the testers by cutting her hand, in the book she actually supresses her powers. As a result this makes her ill, she always has circles under her eyes and she has no appetite so she is really skinny. I really like this idea that instead of draining them like most fantasy powers do in other series it actually makes them stronger. I thought it was a very interesting concept. It also explains why Baghra looks to have aged despite being immortal like The Darkling. In the book when Alina asks The Darkling what powers Baghra has he replies that it had been so long since she had used them that no one knew. So it seems like the reason why Baghra has aged is because she isn’t summoning. 

The other thing that we get more information about in the books is the use of amplifiers. Morozova’s creatures aren’t the only amplifiers other Grisha do have them for example Ivan has a bear claw and Marie has a seal amplifier. I think Zoya also has an amplifier. We also find out that a Grisha usually can only have one amplifier.  

2) Ivan’s Backstory 

Ok this is probably a small thing but I really wish they had kept Ivan’s backstory in the show. He lost family to the Fjerdans, if I remember rightly I think it was his father, brother and uncle. Though correct me if I am wrong on that. But this has obviously had an impact on him and he says they died fighting the King’s wars. It just really goes a long way to explain why Ivan is so loyal to The Darkling. Its because he believes the Darkling will end all wars and seeing as Ivan has lost a large portion of his family to war it makes sense that he would stand by the Darkling. 

3) Alina’s Time At The Little Palace. 

So another thing the books did better than the show was showing the time and training that Alina goes through. In the show it only seems like Alina is at the Little Palace for a few weeks but she is actually there for at least five months if not more. You also see her struggle with her powers and combat training more and you see her starting to get better at both. In the show by the end of episode 4 she can summon on her own and she has that break through but it takes alot longer in the books. But yeah I would have loved to see more of her training. 

4) Baghra and The Darkling. 

So this isn’t really something the book does better but it was a scene that I really liked and that was where Alina arrives to her lesson with Baghra and The Darkling is there and she is surprised that Baghra is arguing with him. Whilst we do get the interaction between Baghra and Aleksander in the show which I did really like, Alina herself never sees the two interact and I think it would have been interesting if she had. I just wish in general that we had gotten more interactions between the mother and son. The other thing I liked was during the scene where Baghra is helping Alina escape Alina question why Baghra would be betraying her son. One thing I did wonder when watching the show was if Baghra knew all this information about Aleksander and how he wanted to expand the fold and if she really did believe he was power hungry, why did she stay by his side. Well the book does give an answer to this and she says she loves her son that’s why she is trying to stop him because she doesn’t want him to cross a line he can’t come back from. I do feel like this adds more depth and complexity to their relationship which I am always glad for. I can’t wait to learn more of their backstory. 

5) Alina’s Mirrored Gloves.

In the books the gloves David makes for Alina are used alot more. They are also described as being mirrored whereas in the tv show they looked more like gold chainmail. Also she gets them sooner in the books. But they’re really cool and she uses them to like distract or blind her opponent during hand to hand combat. Also I really like the scene when they are introduced because its basically Genya giving Alina a tour and they go to the Fabrikator workshop and when Genya introduces David he’s working on the gloves and he just goes these are for you. It’s awkward but also funny. 

6) Genya and David.

You get so much more of their relationship in the books. Well by so much more I mean Genya does talk to Alina about David. As a result we get one of my favourite interactions in the book where they are having a girly talk and Alina tries to reassure Genya that David will come around and that he’s just shy, then Genya says ‘“Maybe I should lie down on a table in the workroom and wait to see if he welds something to me.” To which Alina says “I think that’s the way most great love stories begin.” I don’t know why but I just loved this I think its because its just two girls talking about a crush and I think its very relatable. But yeah Genya and David are very cute. 

7) Tidemakers.

So one of the things I wished we could have seen in the show was the tidemakers using their powers. We get told about them and obviously they can control water but we never see one. Well in the books we do get Tidemakers using their powers and we get Alina describing them to us. There is a particularly cool scene that happens at the winter fete where tidemakers create this wave as part of the Grisha demonstration that then gets turned into mist by inferni. It wasn’t much but I still enjoyed getting a little glimpse of them using their powers. 

Ok that’s all I can think of for now, I’m sure I’ll think of more once I’ve had more time to process the book. But overall I thought it was ok I am interested to see where the characters go from here. I ordered the second book already and its due to arrive tomorrow so looking forward to that. As for this book if I gave it a rating I’d say its probably a 6/10 I thought it was good but there were some things about it that I think it could have done better with.  

[ansheofthevalley]

People tend to do the same thing for Steve and Tony (Stony), as in fetishize their relationship, when you’ve already mentioned that there are plenty of LGBTQ people in the world of Marvel.

Hi nonny!

TBH, it’s hardly hot news that fandom in general like to fetishize mlm couples (especially if the characters are portrayed as straight). It’s usually straight women that fetishizes mlm ships (that’s a whole another problem I won’t get into now, otherwise this would be a very long post). I mean, I still remember the days of BBC Sherlock and Johnlock. I’m sure you do too, nonny.

Now, everyone has their own headcanons about characters and all. And that’s totally OK. But the MCU adapts characters from the comics (I know I’m totally coming across like a comic book purist, which I’m not, not really), and there are tons of wonderful LGTBQ characters in the comics. I’m aware that not all the people that are part of the MCU fandom read the comics, and that’s cool. 

I guess that my main issues with this are the following:

Like I said before, the MCU adapts the characters from the comics. But adaptation doesn’t mean carbon copy. Just like MCU’s MJ is not the “typical” Mary Jane we know, the MCU version is based on an alternate version of Mary Jane from the comics in which she was as much of a genius as Peter (I can’t remember the alternate universe). The same can happen with a character’s sexuality. Let’s use Jessica Drew aka Spider-Woman as an example. Her original version (Earth-616) is straight. But her Ultimate version (Earth-1610) identifies as a lesbian. Same can happen with Illyana Rasputina aka Magik, who in Earth 616 is established as straight, but she’s also established as bi and gay in different alternate universes. Other characters that can go this route are Wolverine and Hercules (both from Earth-12025, alternate universe in which they’re a couple) and Beast and Wonder Man (both from Earth-763, alternate universe in which they’re a couple). 

(I MEAN... Here you have two of the manliest, most macho-looking superheroes Marvel has, sharing a show-stopping kiss. JUST IMAGINE if we got something remotely close to it in the MCU).

I don’t have a problem with characters being queer when their comic counterpart are straight, as long as it makes sense whithin their narrative frame. Otherwise, it just becomes thoughtless representation and as a community we deserve better than that.

Then, of course, you have the canon LGBT characters (by canon I refer to characters present in the Earth-616 timeline). You have:

- Gay characters:

Union Jack

Northstar

Angela (Thor’s older sister, whose storyline in the MCU was given to Hela)

Sera

Korg (who already is in the MCU)

Phyla-Vell

Moondragon

America Chavez

Wiccan 

Hulkling

Iceman (one of the 6 original X-Men)

Karma (founder of the New Mutants)

Viv (Vision’s “daughter”)

-Bi characters:

Loki

Black Cat

Psylocke

Mystique

Electro (a Spider-Man villain)

Daken (Wolverine’s son)

Prodigy

Beetle (a Spider-Man villain)

Fuse

Noh-Varr

-Pan characters:

Deadpool

Julie Power

Xavin

-Trans characters:

Sera

Loki

-Genderfluid characters:

Loki

Xavin

Mystique

-LGBTQ characters that already are in the MCU (*):

Loki (Bisexual and genderfluid)

Valkyrie (Bisexual)

Nico Minoru (Bisexual)

Karolina Dean (Gay)

Xavin (Genderfluid)

Jeri Hogarth (Gay)

Joey Gutierrez (Gay)

Justin Hammer (Gay)

(*)I’m aware of the pattern here, the only openly LGBTQ characters are from the Marvel shows. Loki, Valkyrie and Justin Hammer have all been confirmed as queer behind the scenes

As you can see, there are tons of queer characters, some that even fit with the direction the MCU will be taking after Endgame:

You have America Chavez, Wiccan, Hulkling and Noh-Varr, all members of the Young Avengers. A notable member of this team? Cassie, Scott Lang’s daughter (she’s a teenager by the end of Endgame, so the timeline is just right for Marvel to bring the YA to the MCU). Also, in the Disney + Hawkeye series, it’s said that Clint will train someone. That someone could turn out to be Kate Bishop, another member of this group.

You have Iceman, Karma, Psylocke, Mystique, Daken, Prodigy and Deadpool, all members of the X-Men or groups affiliated with them. Since Disney acquiered the rights to the X-Men, we’ll see some of them soon in the MCU.

You have Phyla-Vell and Moondragon, characters associated with the GotG and the cosmic side of Marvel. Since one of the confirmed projects is the Eternals movie and it’s also said that the Captain Marvel sequel will take place in space, it’s possible these characters are introduced, since it seems the MCU is heading towards exploring the cosmic side of the universe. Marvel also confirmed that the Eternals movie will introduce its first openly gay character, so yay!

You have Ultimate Jessica Drew. She’s from the same alternate universe as Miles Morales. Since FFH confirmed the Multiverse theory, it can be possible this version of the character appears in the MCU, either as the MCU’s version of the Jess or as part of the Spider-Verse story-line. Also possible to make an appareance (but a little further down the line): Black Cat. She’s a love interest/rival to Spider-Man. There’s also possibility for Electro and Beetle to appear since they were both part of the Sinister Six.

You have Angela and Sera. Since Thor joined the GotG at the end of Avengers: Endgame, making it look like an adaptation of the Asgardians of the Galaxy run (or at least, the start of it), it’s easy to introduce, at least, Angela, since she became a rather popular character.

You have Loki and his upcoming Disney + solo series, which will take place in an alternate universe. The series is perfect for Marvel to explore the sexuality of one of its most popular characters.

You have Viv, the Vision’s daughter. Since we’ll get the ScarletVision Disney + series, it’s possible we get a version of Viv, or a mix of her and the children Wanda and Vision “had” (if you read House of M, you’ll know what I’m referring to). Viv is part of the series of new young heroes, along with Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), Riri Williams (Ironheart), Miles Morales (Ultimate universe’s Spider-Man), Spider-Gwen (Earth-65′s Gwen Stacy), Nadia Pym (Wasp), Lunella Lafayette (Moon Girl) and Gabby Kinney (a clone of Wolverine).

As I said, there are tons of awesome characters waiting to be introduced. Just because they’re not known to the GA doesn’t mean they couldn’t be great additions to the MCU. I mean, almost nobody knew about the Guardians when their first movie came out. Scott Lang and Stephen Strange were largely unknown by the GA when their movies came out. So yeah, I have great hopes for these awesome characters.

Also, support the Marvel shows that are giving us proper representation! Watch Runaways on Hulu and Jessica Jones and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D on Netflix.

[hellyeahheroes]

Janet Van Dyne’s cameo in the Unstoppable Wasp #3

You know, recently I’ve been informed about an article claiming this book isn’t a feminist tile but is outright insulting to women. I won’t link this article, because it’s trash that masquerades as feminist piece in order to sneak whining about “SJWs” under the radar (if you want to look for it, it’s on Heat Street, a site that appears to be mostly trying to spread messages about “evils of feminism and the left” under the guise of progressive articles). And does a very bad job at it. But it managed to get me angry (”furious like a wasp” they’d fittingly say in my country) so I’m going to use this review to talk about some of the bullshit that is being thrown against this book.

One of the arguments raised by this “article” is that Nadia’s decision to use her skills to help other brilliant young women make a break is wrong and she should be fighting villains instead. Because apparently the author of the article somehow missed few decades of comics where Superheroes try to deal with real-life problems. And sure, sometimes the efforts are not good, like infamous Superman: Grounded by Joe Michael Straczynski, where Superman offers superficial and ignorant solutions to problems like drug dealers, and sometimes outright makes things worse. But Unstoppable Wasp is one of few books that approaches real life problem in a way that can actually be helpful.

Nadia is aware how lucky she is to be in the position she found herself after coming to America – she is not only a supergenius, but has means to freely work on whatever she wants and utilize her potential to the fullest. And she is aware not all genius girls can say the same.  In this issue, she meets two of such women. Lashaya Smith is dealing with her parents living in financial-necessary separation and being bullied at school and possibly also depression. Priya is dealing with awfully strict parents and is torn between her love for science and common assumption that being smart will not make you happy and a girl is better off being vapid and shallow, because then everyone like her (you know, awful crap that is put into kids heads at very young age thanks to careless shows like Teen Titans Go!). Nadia is respectful and if someone doesn’t want to join (like Lunella Lafayette, who is too preoccupied with her own book’s problems AND Inhumans problems) she won’t press the issue.

But here is the thing. This is an actual real problem that there are many talented women who, for various reasons, never have the opportunity to make it big. And the truth is that the best chance they have is if women who got luckier use position they’re on to reach their hand to them. I’m saying it as a male, most of the men will look first for other men and those who are willing to use their position to help women, while worth applause, are an exception, not the rule. In this field the best hope real women like Lashaya or Priya have is for women who are already there to help them. The Unstoppable Wasp will not solve the problem of the glass ceiling or how economic circumstances or social pressure stand in a way of young women accomplishing their dreams. But if at least one girl who reads this book makes it big, not only just in science but whatever her passion is, like art or performance or politics, and then reaches to help other women climb up, it will be a success.

Now, that awful article tries to criticize the book for “coming up” with the all-male List of world’s smartest people for Nadia to challenge. Like if that wasn’t a thing for over a decade. Like if the first mention of it cannot be traced to the creation of Amadeus Cho. The moment he was proclaimed 7th Smartest Man on Earth, Marvel jumped to put all their most  famous supergeniuses in the first six positions, creating Top 7 Smartest Men on Earth List (by the way, notice it ended with Cho on lowest position - because the point never was to create more appropriate Top 10, but to ensure all “classic” characters are better than the new guy). The article argues for the List to be a thing only in comic, despite being officially approved by Marvel, while “real” fans will always remember to mention Valeria Richards as one of the smartest people on Earth. Funny thing that when one of the comics (Dan Slott’s Mighty Avengers) showed Valeria punking Amadeus, Marvel not only didn’t acknowledge her place in the Top 7 – but removed Amadeus from it in Fall of Hulks, where members of Top 7 are kidnapped and Amadeus is spared by being retconned to be a lower number.

The list has a history of being incredibly sexist, and refusal to acknowledge Valeria’s position on it In-Universe is only one of the problems. You don’t need to look further than Jonathan Hickman’s atrocious New Avengers book. Starring an all-male team composed of members of the list and few extras (that were slowly faded out) it was infamous for an outright spiteful killing of women in the position of power (including Shuri, Queen of Wakanda, and Roma and Saturyne, leaders of Captain Britain Corps). It also spent it’s run throwing around numerous suggestions Valeria will in future grow into Black Swan, scantily-clad femme-fatale who has no interest in science. Instead, Black Swan is a terrorist, religiously devoted to writer’s favorite character and one of Top 7 guys, Doctor Doom.

Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur and Unstoppable Wasp are first books actually challenging sexism that is at this point inseparable from the whole concept of the List. The article argues it is wrong for them to do so when Valeria exists, but if all she amounts to is a token to show “hey, girls can be smart too” in an all-boys adventure, especially one as sexist as Hickman’s New Avengers, then this argument is rubbish. Combined with the argument Nadia should use her knowledge to fight supervillains, not help other girls, it reeks of elitism. Of the incredibly selfish idea of feminism, where every woman is on their own and does nothing to help those in a worse position than her.

The use of Valeria as go-to “proof” Nadia and her group aren’t needed seems incredibly fitting. I mean, there was a reason why, when Warren Ellis’ 2007 series Planetary introduced villains that were stealing and destroying all that extraordinary in the world, they were based on Fantastic Four. This kind of elitism is very popular in superhero genre. It’s the bad way to write superheroes – show them as superior and looking down to those less lucky and gifted. “We’re adventures, my crewmates and I. On the human adventure. And you can’t all come along.” – Says Human Torch’s evil counterpart in Planetary, William Leather. This is the same kind of elitism that reeks from this article. I don’t know what motivates the author. Maybe she genuinely thinks herself a feminist. But it looks to me like she is one of the “alt-feminists” being currently pushed by far-right groups in an attempt to co-opt feminism for their cause. Or those feminists who made it big and only cared for themselves. And now when they see a mere suggestion they could have done more for other women, especially women of color, they have a very recognizable reaction:

This book is great. Buy it, even if it’s not your kind of thing. If only to spite those alt-“feminists” who cannot stand the idea of women actually helping each other and working together.

[nofomoartworld]

The 'U.S.Avengers' Are the American Heroes We Deserve

Panel selection from U.S. Avengers #1. Illustrated by Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco, and Jesus Aburtov. Screencap via the author

Each week, The Creators Project seeks out the best and brightest from the comics industry.

With years of experience in the industry, comic writer and editor Aubrey Sitterson currently writes the new G.I. Joe series for IDW Comics, and this week speaks to The Creators Project about his favorite new releases: “A couple years back I made a conscious effort to start consuming less and creating more,” Aubrey explains. His highlights for the week include Jem and the Holograms #22, “I'm a sucker for band-based stuff,” says Aubrey. “But what Kelly Thompson is doing on Jem is something else entirely. It's fun, feels contemporary and, perhaps most importantly, has an instantly recognizable tone and aesthetic, which is due to the amazing work of Sophie Campbell, Meredith McClaren, and others. One of my big wishlist items for G.I. Joe is doing some kind of crossover with the Jem team—even if it's out of continuity! Cold Slither could show up! Rock 'n Roll could be the Holograms' roadie—it practically writes itself!” Aubrey also calls special attention to Optimus Prime #2 this week and The Unworthy Thor #3.

Of the comic industry as a whole, Aubrey believes “comics—like a lot of different mediums—are as good they've ever been right now. There are a lot of things to be pessimistic about these days, but ‘humanity's creative endeavors’ certainly isn't one of them.”

Reviewed this week: Bombastic American Avengers, a new super genius super heroine, too many supermen, and a manga about space brothers toughing it out in the Russian wilderness.

U.S.Avengers #1

Cover for U.S. Avengers #1. Illustrated by Paco Medina. Photo courtesy Marvel Comics

Looking at the cover for U.S.Avengers #1 it’s easy to roll one’s eyes and move on down the shelf. Surely this comic is bound to be be a chest-thumping, Americans-vs-Terrorists, simplicity-fest, right? Super-wrong. U.S. Avengers features a diverse cast of heroes including a Brazilian-American millionaire, a Chinese-American lesbian science genius, a Norwegian immigrant in a cool cyber suit, hell… even Squirrel Girl gets to join the fun. And even though they’re loud and explode-y, they’re also inclusive, diverse, tough-as-hell, and champion a sort of “ideal patriotism” where they fight for an America that’s truly a land of opportunity and unafraid of otherness (unless “the other” rides toward the coast in a giant floating volcano, which absolutely happens in this issue). This is a must-read for action comic fans who want something more than the traditional Cap/Thor/Iron Man Avengers can provide.

The Unstoppable Wasp #1

Cover for The Unstoppable Wasp #1. Illustrated by Elsa Charretier. Photo courtesy Marvel Comics

The most amazing part about The Unstoppable Wasp is that it’s all about brilliant female scientists. Nadia Pym is the titular heroine. She’s daughter of famed (and now sadly deceased) scientist Hank Pym—better known as Ant Man—and she continually bumps into super-geniuses who are her idols. Along with trying to get an American citizenship (she was kept in Russia in The Red Room for most of her life up to now) she spends much of the issue meeting other super-smart women and gushes over how much she loves their research papers on biology and radiation. Talk about positive role models: the women (mostly teenagers) fighting crime in this book are super-smart, speak like real humans, and fight to be noticed amidst their male counterparts. The comic even deals with representation in a perfectly nuanced way. S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps a list of the smartest people in the world, and there aren’t many women on the list, and Nadia and Mockingbird decide that that’s because the list is made by men who aren’t looking for women to be on the list, so Nadia seems to want to set out to find brilliant women and raise visibility… all this, and she takes down a giant robot, too.

Superman #14

Cover for Superman #14. Illustrated by Ivan Reis. Photo courtesy DC Comics

Creatures are tearing through the multiverse (a series of parallel universes in DC Comics, it’s extremely complicated) collecting various incarnations of Superman. They burst onto the scene, scream about collecting those on “the lyst,” and pose a serious threat to our heroes. This is not an easy comic to jump into, but not every comic has to be easy for newcomers every single issue. In a way, it’s sort of a cool, bold move of DC comics to let their tentpole superhero comic slide into an in-depth, potentially confounding story.

Manga of the Week: Space Brothers Chapter 287

Cover for Space Brothers Chapter 287. Illustrated by Chuya Koayama. Photo courtesy Kodansha Comics

Space Brothers is a long-running manga (since 2007) about a pair of brothers who made a promise to one another that they’d one day both be astronauts. At the start of the series, one of the brothers really has filled his end of the bargain, and the reader follows the other brother as he attempts to play catch up. In this issue the brothers train with the Russian space program, learn about their customs, and embark on a wilderness survival trip with them. For a manga so centered on space, this is an incredibly down-to-earth work about a group of people getting to know each other in the woods. As with all of these weekly snippets of manga, it will be hard to know exactly what’s going on story-wise from this issue, but it’s an absolutely perfect, tranquil, wonderful read nonetheless.

Panel selection from Space Brothers Chapter 287. Illustrated by Chuya Koayama. Screencap via the author

What were your favorite pulls of the week? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter: @CreatorsProject

Related:

‘Black Panther’ Tackles the Politics of Rebellion

Is Aquaman an Underwater Terrorist?

Kate Bishop Is the New 'Hawkeye'

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